I opened the front door to find Jack dressed in a slim-fitting navy-blue suit and clutching a large bunch of pink roses. He looked even more handsome than I’d remembered, and his aftershave smelled delicious. I almost swooned.

‘Wow! You look … lovely.’ He smiled, his cheeks flushing a little as he handed me the flowers.

‘Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.’

‘The taxi’s waiting, if you’re ready …’

‘Let me just put these in water.’

Reggie came to the door. ‘I’ll do that.’ She extended a hand, flashing Jack a dazzling smile as she relieved him of the bouquet. I groaned inwardly.

‘I’m Reggie, Stina’s flatmate. I think we met briefly at Zakir’s party the other week.’

My heart plummeted. I watched anxiously, waiting for the usual puppy-dog expression that seemed to glaze over the faces of most men when confronted with my friend, the goddess. To my surprise, he just nodded politely. There was no widening of eyes; no awkward body language, nor any flicker of admiration or lust.

‘Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t remember. I must have had a fair bit to drink. Nice to meet you – again.’ He turned, fixing me with those incredible eyes. ‘Shall we?’

*

The evening passed all too quickly. The restaurant was very upmarket and contemporary, all glass and chrome, with huge mirrors and fabulous spiral-shaped crystal chandeliers. But I remember feeling surprisingly comfortable in my outfit and not at all out of place. After a couple of swiftly downed glasses of prosecco, I was slightly merry, and pleasantly relaxed. We seemed to have picked up where we left off on our previous meeting, and the conversation flowed effortlessly.

I helped myself from the bowl of olives on our table while we waited for the main course to arrive. Jack watched me with amusement. I stopped eating.

‘What?’

‘Crikey – were you hungry? You made light work of your starter.’

‘It was to die for.’ And it had been – fresh ravioli, with a divine vodka and tomato sauce. ‘Plus, I skipped lunch, so yes, I was starving.’ I omitted the fact that I’d been unable to eat, owing to the knots in my stomach.

‘That’s fair enough – it wasn’t a criticism, just an observation. I like to see people enjoying their food. You can help me out if I’m struggling, then.’

‘I may just do that!’ I smiled. Even without the alcohol, all my earlier apprehension had melted away completely. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, sitting here opposite this man who seemed to be enjoying my company as much as I was his. I look back now and see that this has always been the pattern of our relationship: totally at ease in each other’s presence, appreciating our surroundings and the same simple pleasures. Almost as if we were two halves of the same whole.

‘So, you finally landed your dream job?’